Electrostatic clamps or chucks (ESCs) are often utilized in the semiconductor manufacturing industry for clamping workpieces or substrates into a fixed position on a support surface during plasma-based or vacuum-based semiconductor processes such as ion implantation, etching, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), etc. Electrostatic clamping capabilities of these ESCs, as well as workpiece temperature control, have proven to be quite valuable in processing semiconductor substrates, workpieces or wafers, such as silicon wafers. A typical ESC, for example, comprises a dielectric layer positioned over a conductive electrode or backing plate, wherein the semiconductor wafer is placed on a surface of the ESC (e.g., the wafer is placed on a surface of the dielectric layer), which operates as a support surface for the wafer as it is being processed. During semiconductor processing (e.g., ion implantation), a clamping voltage is typically applied between the wafer and the electrode, whereby the wafer is clamped against the chuck surface by electrostatic forces.
In some circumstances, it is desirable to perform high temperature processing on a workpiece. Such high temperatures (e.g., approaching 1000 C), however, can adversely affect the electrostatic clamping force exhibited by conventional ESCs.